Bridle Sweet

by Lisa Ferguson Equines by Design

Why would your mule allow you to put the bridle on him? After all, pulling the bridle over his ears and that uncomfortable piece of steel in his mouth always means work!...Because you have

taught him to--with fairness, gentleness and patience.

At this point, your mule should be good to bridle. You have worked with him --he’ll lower his head when you ask him to, you can rub all over his head and ears, he’s okay with being touched around the lips, even inside the mouth. This photo is of a young mule we started this past year--he stands nearly 17 hands tall but will lower his head so that he can be bridled even while you are kneeling on the ground!

A good way to get the mule used to the bit going in and out of his mouth is by using the lead rope---it’s soft and flexible and can’t bump him on the teeth! You will find that the mule will not resist it like the bit. We do this even with our weanling mules. This little technique also gets them untroubled about something in their mouth, helpful when you get ready to paste-worm them.

If you’re honestly ready to bridle your mule, then don’t act suspicious. When you walk up to your mule, don’t hide the bridle behind your back...but don’t come at the mule with the bridle as if it were a weapon either! Be firm, not tentative. I like to make the headstall a little bigger, loosen it up a few holes, so that it passes over his poll and ears easier. It seems like mules have a knowledge bump between their ears that horses don’t have, it sometimes is a little more awkward to get the bridle on over their ears and top of their head if the bridle is not let out. After it’s on, snug the headstall back up to the right adjustment.

It’s a good idea to loosen the bridle when you take it off, too. And don’t let the bit bang his teeth on the way out. My mules like to hold the bit in their mouth, even after I’ve removed the bridle--I think it’s a little joke they’re playing on me!

Here’s the easiest way to put the bridle on your mule. Hold the top of the bridle with your right hand, use your left hand to spread the mule’s lips apart to accept the bit. You may need to encourage the mule to open his mouth by pushing your thumb into the corner of his mouth. If he’s been taught to lower his head with pressure on the poll, it will make it so much easier! If things don’t go smoothly, don’t get in a battle. Regroup and try again---you don’t want him to connect the bridling process with a fight! Sometimes I will give the mule a bit of carrot or alfalfa cube as soon as I get the bit in his mouth, so he associates the bit with a treat.

Preparation when bridling your mule will make him “bridle sweet”. And the best reward you can give your mule for taking the bit willingly is by teaching him to yield to the bit , using the bit for direction, not for punishment.

A Neat Trick

In the December ‘98 Natural Mulemanship article, I talked about the hand-tied rope halter and some reasons that you might get along better with your mule if you were using one. I promised you I would show you how to remove the halter from underneath the bridle. I’ve worked with horses and mules for almost 30 years now and didn’t know that this could be done! This is a neat little trick I learned from a Brannaman clinic in Tennessee last summer.

Being able to bridle your mule with his halter on and then removing it from underneath the bridle can come in handy when you suspect that you might need to leave the halter on for control. For instance, in a situation where the mule might be distracted and not stand still (such as when there are a lot of other animals around like a trail-ride or a show)--or maybe when you have to bridle a mule that you do not know or that has not been trained to lower his head and bridle easily.

Untie the halter, take the crown to the off side and push it down toward the mule’s nose underneath the bridle.

Take the halter noseband forward in front of the mule’s nose, into his mouth above the bit’s mouthpiece and then behind the bit (easy with a snaffle, harder if your bit has a high port). Pull the nose-piece of the halter behind the bit onto the mule’s tongue and then pull it out from under the bit.

Take the halter noseband underneath the mule’s chin, between his chin and the curb strap--the halter is off!

It’s surprising how simple this little trick is and how often it can be put to use--hope it comes in handy for you too!